System of lubrication



Aug. 14, 1923.

E. O. STERNS SYSTEM OF LUBRICATION Filed May 26, 1922 I N E N7TO R ZZE WQ Q Y ZZZETWS ATTORNEY Patent Aug. 14, 1923,.

ITED o STATES EDWAIYD' O. STERNS, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE STLRNS GAS ENGINE LUBEIGATOR COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO. i

SYSTEM OF LUBRICATION.

Application filed May 26,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD O. STERNB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Systems of Lubrication; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description-of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to lubricating systems having particular reference to a system for lubricating the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine and has for its object the providing of a system which will be entirely automatic, contain all working parts entirely within the lubricant conduit and require such parts to be simple in construction but eflicient and practical in operation. 1

\Vith the above objects in view my invention consists in providing a lubricant supply source. a conduit leading from said source to the combustion chamber of an in ternal combustion engine and locating within said conduit means operable by the vibra-tions of the engine to regulate the quantity of lubricant to be carried to the combustion chamber and means operable by the suction created bv the piston displacement v for carrying such lubricant to the parts of the engine to be lubricated.

The invention further consists in parts and combination of parts, all of which will be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an ordinary engine showing the manner I prefer to employ in carrying out my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view partially in section showing the detailed construction of the lubricant supply reservoir and the controlling mechanlsm.

3 represents the reservoir proper provided with a permanent closure 4 in which is mounted the screw threaded cap 5, for per- .mitting the filling of the reservoir with a lubricant. A vent 6, is provided for allow ing the lubricant to be carried away from thereservoir Without creating a vacuum therein.

Extending from the closure 4 is a valve cash1g7 having an annular valve seat, 8 adapted 1922. Serial No. 563,868.

binding nut to prevent unintended rotation, of the stem 11.

llhevalve casing 7 has communication with the sealed transparent chamber 14c through the passage 15, which chamber 1%., in turn has direct communication with the lowermost portion of the reservoir 3, through the conduit 16.

Heretofore and before my invention, it has been attempted to control the supply of lubricant by a valve operated through the medium of the suction created by the cylinder displacements but in practice it has been found that fine adjustments of the valve are not accomplishable unless the valve is. constructed on the well known needle or cone type. and that when such constructions are employed the valve is operable only as long as it can be kept free from gumming up which time is dependable entirely upon the quality of lubricant employed. Otherwise the How of lubricant is either stopped or too great to permit proper functioning of the engine.

With my invention ll eliminatethese objections by employing the vibrations of the 9 from its seat- 8; the rapidity of which is equivalent to the speed of the engine, and

then employ the vacuum created by the pisengine to displace and replace the ball valve idle the valve 9 holds the small amount of" lubricant that may be in the passage 15 from passing through the valve case 7. As the engine is started the displacement of the pistons causes a suction pull, a part of which finds its way from the intake manifold 17 to the pipe 18 connected thereto. This suction continues on through the pipe 18 to the interior of the valve casing 7 and as the vibrations of the engine cause the ball valve 9 to be momentarily displaced from its seat 8. the suction continues on to the transparent sealed chamber 14, thereby causing a propor- Mill from the reservoir 3, through the conduit 16 and into said chamber 14. The lubricant then drops from the end of the conduit 16 and into the passage 15 and arrested at the valve seat 8 and ball valve 9. As the vibrations continue to displace the ball valve 9 a small quantity of lubricant passes into the valve casing 7 and from there is drawn through the intake manifold and into the combustion chamber of the engine. By viewing the quantity of lubricant dripping into the chamber 14, the proper amount of lubrication may be determined and by adjusting the position of the stem 11, the tension of the spring 10 is in turn adjusted and consequently the ball valve 9 is allowed more or less displacement through the vibrations of the engine thereby permitting more or less suction to pass through to the chamber 14 and necessarily controlling the amount of lubricant drawn from the reservoir 3;

Elaborations in the construction of the mechanism may be brought about, such as placing the chamber 14 or its equivalent and the handle 12 in the instrument board of the auto, without departing from the invention since I have merely set forth a simplified form of carrying out my invention and do not desire to limit myself to the mechanism or details thereof as they may be readily modified without departing from my invention.

Hating thus described my invention what I wish to claim is:

1. In a system of lubrication the combination with an internal combustion engine of a lubricant supply source, a conduit conmeeting said source to the combustion chann ber of said engine and means operable by the vibrations of said engine for controlling the supply of lubricant to the engine.

2. In a system of lubrication thecombination with an internal combustion engine of a lubricant'supply source, a conduit connecting said source to parts of the engine to be lubricated and means operable by the the engine vibrations for re vibrations of said engine for controlling the supply of lubricant to the engine.

3. In a system of lubrication the combination with an internal combustion engine of a lubricant supply source, a conduit connecting said source tothe intake manifold of said engine and means within said conduit operable by the vibrations of the engine for controlling the supply of lubricant to said engine.

4. In a system of lubrication the combination with an internal combustion engine of alubricantsupply source, a conduit connecting said source to the intake manifold of said engine and means within said conduit operable by the frequency of vibrations of the engine for regulating the supply of lubricant to the engine.

5. In a lubricating system of the type set forth the combination with an internal combustion engine of a lubricant supply source, a conduit connecting said source to the in take manifold of said engine, means within said conduit operable by the frequency of lating the supply of lubricant and operab e by the suction within said intake for conveying said lubricant to the parts of the engine to be lubricated.

6. In a lubricating system of the ty e set forth the combination with an internal combustion engine of a lubricant supply source, a conduit connecting said source to the parts of the engine to be lubricated and means within said conduit operable by the engine vibrations for controlling the supply of lubricantand employing the suction created within said engine for conveying said lubricant to the parts to be lubricated.

Signed at Cleveland in the county oi Cuyahoga and State of Ohio this 24th day May 1922.

EDWARD O. STERNS.

\Vitnesses F. J. MILLER, M. C. WAGNER. 

